Newly married Kerala man found dead in suspected honour killing: Police arrests wife's brother and father

A day after a newly married man was found dead in a stream near Thenmala in Kollam district of Kerala, the police arrested his wife’s brother and father, according to several media reports. The victim, 23-year-old Kevin Joseph, was allegedly abducted on Saturday by his wife’s family members and murdered. [caption id=“attachment_4487285” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  The 23-year-old Kevin P Joseph. Image courtesy Naveen Nair[/caption] Kottayam superintendent of police Harishankar said the woman’s brother Shanu Chacko, her father Chacko and three others accused in the abduction and murder of Kevin, are in custody, reported The Indian Express. Kevin’s body was found on Monday morning in a stream in Chaliyakkara, some 20 kilometres away from Thenmala in Kollam district. A case was registered against 10 unidentified persons. Kevin and his relative Aneesh were abducted from the latter’s residence by a gang that arrived in three vehicles. Aneesh was later abandoned by the gang on the wayside after being brutally torture. He has been admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital in Kottayam. Kevin’s kin alleged police laxity and that the cops refused to institute an investigation on the basis of Kevin’s wife’s complaint on Sunday. Kevin’s wife said  she did not get justice from the police. Kevin’s relatives also alleged he was tortured and killed by the gang engaged by his wife’s brother, two days after they filed a joint application for marriage registration at a sub-registrar’s office. Kevin, who fell in love with a woman studying in a college in Kottayam, married her at a registrar’s office in Ettumanoor against the wishes of her family. Both Kevin and his wife were summoned to the Gandhinagar police station based on her family’s complaint. Kevin’s wife however, preferred to stay with her husband. Sub-Inspector MS Shibu and Grade ASI Sunnymon of the Gandhinagar police station were suspended by Ernakulam Range IG Vijay Sahkare on Monday for laxity. Meanwhile, political parties and Dalit organisations called a dawn-to-dusk hartal on Tuesday  to protest the alleged honour killing. Shops, markets, and business establishments remained closed in many parts of the district while private bus terminus in various towns wore a deserted look. Kerala Human Rights Commission said it suspects a case of honour killing and ordered the state police chief to submit a report in three weeks if there was any police negligence. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan described the incident as “unfortunate” and said it should not have occurred. With inputs from agencies